Charles e



(No Model.) t e. E.BUTLER. GAME APPARATUS.

No. 567,218. Patented Sept. 8, 1896.A

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

CHARLES BUTLER, oE NEw YORK, N. Y.

'GAME APPARATUS.

sPEcIEIcATroN forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,218, dated september e,v 189e.

f Application filed June 20, 1895. Serial No. 553,418. (No model.)

To alwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEsE. BUTLER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game-Boards and Men Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are to provide a-foldng chess ory game board which can be conveniently carried in the pocket, and to provide in connection therewith folding men capable of being removably connected with thegame-board, so that they may be folded up inside the game-board without disturbing their position on the board.

The improved folding board and folding men are illustrated lin the accompanying drawings,rshowing the improvements as applied to the game of chess, wherein- Figure l is a perspectiveview of the chessboard open and ready for use, two of the ohessmen being shown upon the board, Fig.

l 2 is a perspectiveview of one of the chessmen. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the board folded and closed, two of the men being shown folded and inclosed within the folded board. Fig. 4 is'a longitudinal section through one of the squares of the board. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of one of the chessmen.` Figs. 2,V 3, and 4 are on` a larger scale than Fig. 1.

The chess-board is composed of two like halves Aorsections A A, hinged together after the manner` common to chess-boards. Each section comprises a face-plate B, a backing C, and a' rim D on its three outer sides or edges, said rim projecting above the faceplate B. The 'two sections are pivoted together by hinges E E, which are secured to ance, and other well-known properties.

the rimsD D'. l

The face-plates B B are preferably of sheet metal, and aluminium is the metal preferably employed onaccountof its lightness, appear- The backing C and rims D may be made of any materialthat taste and fancy may dictate,le'ather or wood being the preferable materials. As thus far described, however, the only features whichV are of Vimportance to the present immarked offinto sixty-four vsquares F when intended for use as a checker or chess board, said squares being appropriately designated or colored in the manner common to chessboards to distinguish the dierent squares.

In case the game-board is to befused s This border is not marked off i such as backgammon, parchesi, &c., thel face-plates 'will be appropriately marked.

Hence in the subjoined claims whensquares are referred to it is to be understood that reference is made to the positions which men or pieces are to'occupy in the progress of the d .game,`and when border isrefe'rred toit lis to be understood that reference is `made to the portion ofthe game-board rintended .for the reception ofcaptured pieces or those which are not in play. Since, however, chess is the principal and most generally popular game ofthis character, and the A'one wherein the most frequent occasion varises for maintaining the pieces or ,men in their positions for a considerable length of time, (as in the case of problems, correspondence games, e. the present improvements have been invented having. the `particular requirements of the game of chess in view, and hence a chessboard and chcssmen are illustrated and particularly described and claimed.

Each square 'Fis formed or provided with a man-holder G, the preferred construction of which is shown inA Fig. 1., wherein the manholder is shown composed of two lips a a, i"

which arecut out of the sheet metal of which the square is made by incisions on three of its sides, and the lips'are then bent up above the surface of the square and then bent over,

so as to Voverhang the apertures b b left in the square where it was cut out, which thus* constitutesra retaining-channel c. This is aconvenient and theV preferred*construction," be- IOO cause the face-plate B `can be ,quickly and economically stamped outto form thefmanholders, and the lips a a thus formed possess elasticity. A modified man-holder G is also.

hood d, the space c beneath which constitutes a retaining-channel. The essence of the invention in this respect resides in the face-plate being provided with men-holders, or means for holding and retaining the men, as well as in the preferred construction shown in Fig. 4L. Likewise the border F/ is provided with a plurality of men-holders G, similar in construction to those in the squares to receive and hold captured men. For the game of chess there should be, preferably, twentynine of the men-holders G in the border.

Each man M is a folding man composed of two parts or members d and e, jointed together by hinge f. Each member d e is of sheet material, vsuch as sheet metal, and preferably of aluminium. The men are colored or otherwise distinguished as is common with chessmen to designate the opposing forces. The head member d of each man is appropriately shaped to correspond with the conventional shapes of the kings, queens, rooks, bishops, knights, and pawns. rlhe foot member c is appropriately shaped to slide and fit into the men-holders G, the foot members of all of the men being alike in size and shape. Preferably also when the men-holders G are constructed with overhan ging lips a a, as shown in Fig. 4, the side edges of the foot c converge slightly, thus making the foot wedge-shaped, in order that it may, when thrust under and between the lips a a, be wedged in place and thus be tightly held. Since all of the menholders G G are just alike, each man can be held in place on any one of the squares or at any place in the border F. When held in place in a holder G, the foot e lies flatly on the face of the face-plate, and the head member or head d may then occupy either of its two operative positions; that is to say, the head may either stand erect as when in play, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or it maybe folded flatly down on top of the holder G, as when captured or when the board is folded, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The head d, it will be noted, is of sheet material, and hence when folded down upon the holder G it is parallel with the foot c, and hence occupies but little space. The combined thickness of the foot, head, and lips a d of the holder is no greater (and preferably slightly less) than the height to which the rims D project above the face of the face-plates B B, so that their presence (when the heads of the men are folded down) does not prevent the close contact of the rims D on opposite sections when the board is closed. The erect position of the head d of a man is its proper position when inplay, so that the men have the same appearance in perspective during the progress of the game as with ordinary chessmen, an advantage which the chess-player readily understands and appreciates. The friction at the hinge f between the two members d e of the man ordinarily suffices to maintain the head d erect when in play. To insure this erect position, a snap-hinge may be employed, and hence the pintle g of the hinge is shown (see Fig. 5) with a squared section h, against the upper and outer faces of which a springtongue t' on the head d engages to maintain the head in its two positions. The tongue i also constitutes a stop coming into contact with the face of the face-plates B when the head d is erect to prevent the backward tilting of the head, and this stop may be employed when the tongue is not a spring-tongue and the hinge is not a snap-hinge. Each holder G is located at the middle of its square, and, preferably, the height of the head CZ of the highest man is such that when folded down it does not quite reach to the hinge of a man held in the holder of an adjacent square, so that one man does not fold down upon a man occupying an adjacent square. This contributes to the compactness of the board when folded. This type of playing man or piece is applicable to any game wherein pieces are used which stand erect, such as I-Ialma, and hence, in the subjoined claims, when the expression chessman is employed it is to be understood as designating any game-piece which when in play stands erect.

To prevent the accidental folding or collapsing of the board when in use, means are provided for holding it open. As shown in Fig. l, a sheet-metal slide I is carried by one section A on its border F', located and sliding in one of the holders G, beneath and between the lips a a thereof and prevented from disengagement therewith by a head s. When the board is opened, this slide is projected across the joint between the two sections and its free end enters the adjacent holder G, thus holding the two sections A open. If desired, there may be two of the slides at opposite sides of the board, but one ordinarily suffices.

To hold the board shut, any suitable catch or fastener may be employed, such as the hook t and knob w.

I am aware that heretofore pocket chess boards and men have been used. One such known device consists in a folding board having holes similar to a cribbage-board, the men having corresponding pintles on their lower ends, but such boards cannot be folded withoutfirst removing the men. In another known device the playing-face is'made of pieces of paper joined together so as to leave slits, into which flat strips of pasteboard representing the chessmen are inserted; but this device is awkward to play with and becomes quickly torn, mutilated, and destroyed. Another disadvantage of this second known device is that the chcssmen all face one way and must all be inserted in one direction, which is awkward for one of the players, whereas in my improved game-board, where the lips a a are employed, the men can be inserted in either direction, and in any event the head mem- IOO IIO

IZO

vbers are alike on both faces, so that it makes means for holding said chess-board open, in

combination with folding chessmemeach composed of two members jointed together, having a stop to limit their relative movement when at right angles to each other, and` the attaching member of said chessmen being wedge-shaped.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. Y

CHARLES E. BUTLER. Witnesses:

C. R. COMES,

OWEN WARD. 

